Author Archives: Robert M. Donnelly

Robert M. Donnelly is CMO of Flo-Tite Valves & Controls, a U.S. based supplier of valves and components to the process control industry in North America. A coach, educator, and advisor to founders/CEOs of growing firms, he is a serial entrepreneur, having started, grown and sold several technology based businesses. Previously he held executive positions at IBM, Pfizer and Exxon.

When you think of HP what brand image immediately comes to mind? PC’s, laptops, printers – right? They are the world’s largest PC manufacturer. It’s what sets them apart from their competitors and is encapsulated in their value proposition. No wonder the stock went down 20 percent on the restructuring announcement.

No matter what market your company is in, once your value proposition ages, customers will move on to the next faster, better, or cheaper solution for their changing requirements. Look at the USPS and then examples of how mail is handled in other countries and you'll see the importance of reinventing your company to keep up with the times.

True disruptive innovation is difficult to achieve. In their book, The Innovator's DNA, academics from INSEAD, Harvard and BYU break down the inherent traits that disruptive innovators have in common: associating, questioning, observing, networking, and experimenting.

A recent analysis of Microsoft tells a familiar tale, one where an aging CEO loses touch with the core integrity of a brand. It seems that leadership style and age perhaps go hand in hand, and it may not be the right decision to put an older CEO in charge of a growing company.